By IIIah Michael
A viral video purporting to show a church burning during a homosexual marriage ceremony in Boston, USA, has been debunked as old footage. The 23-second video, which has been viewed over 129 times and shared over 134 times on X (formerly Twitter), shows a church spire engulfed in flames before it collapses.
However, fact-checking by THE WHISTLE reveals that the footage is from an incident that occurred on June 3, 2023, and not related to a homosexual marriage ceremony. According to Boston News, the video shows the moment the steeple of a centuries-old church in Spencer came tumbling down after a fire believed to have been caused by a lightning strike.
“The claim that the church was burnt during a homosexual marriage ceremony is misleading,” said THE WHISTLE in a statement. “Our findings indicate that the fire was caused by a lightning strike and dates back to July 3, 2023.”
The pastor of the church, First Congregational United Church in Spencer, Massachusetts, also confirmed that the fire was likely caused by a lightning strike and not related to any marriage ceremony. “No one was injured as the building was empty at the time, and the community watched on in shock as the historic church crumbled,” reported the Daily Mail.
*VERDICT:* The claim that the church was burnt during a homosexual marriage ceremony is FALSE.
Illah Michael, the author of this fact-check report, can be reached at michaelillah247@gmail.com, +234 813 053 7093,Â